--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- Leila Fadel: Welcome to Up First from NPR News. I'm Leila Fadel.
--:-- Michelle Martin: And I'm Michelle Martin.
--:-- Leila Fadel: After Ukraine's president was berated at the White House, he gets a very different reception in London.
--:-- Michelle Martin: You're very, very welcome here in Downing Street. With the U.S. possibly turning on its ally, can Europe hold off Russia?
--:-- Leila Fadel: I'm Michelle Martin, that's Leila Fadel, and this is Up First from NPR News.
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--:-- Leila Fadel: Israel stops all aid to Gaza as the first phase of the ceasefire agreement ended this weekend.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Israel wants to continue the hostage for prisoner exchanges, but Hamas wants to move to phase two, Israeli troop withdrawal.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Can the ceasefire hold?
--:-- Michelle Martin: And an NPR investigation finds major gaps in the system used to report misconduct by federal judges.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: The judge was the HR department. The judge was my boss. The judge was a colleague. The judge was everything. He had all the power.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: This message comes from BetterHelp. It's only human to ask others for advice, like turning to your barista, hairdresser, or a taxi driver for life advice.
--:-- Leila Fadel: But when you're looking for help about relationships, anxiety, depression, or other clinical issues, they may not have all the right answers.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Instead, get guidance from a licensed therapist online with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com slash NPR for 10% off your first month.
--:-- Leila Fadel: This message comes from Lisa. Lisa mattresses are meticulously designed and assembled in the USA for exceptional quality, and each mattress is designed with specific sleep positions and feel preferences in mind.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Plus, they back it all up with free shipping, easy returns, and a 100-night sleep trial. Visit Lisa.com for 25% off mattresses, plus get an extra $50 off with promo code NPR.
--:-- Leila Fadel: That's L-E-E-S-A dot com, promo code NPR.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Support for NPR and the following message come from Pete and Jerry's Eggs.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Their new organic pasture-raised eggs come from hens that roam lush pastures and enjoy a USDA-certified organic diet.
--:-- Michelle Martin: The result? Delicious, ethical, healthy eggs, as nature intended. Learn more at PeteAndJerrys.com
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--:-- Leila Fadel: When Ukraine's president visited the White House, it devolved into this. You're not in a good position. You don't have the cards right now.
--:-- Michelle Martin: That's President Trump scolding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on Friday.
--:-- Leila Fadel: A day later, though, Zelensky got a very different reception in London.
--:-- Michelle Martin: You're very, very welcome here in Downing Street.
--:-- Leila Fadel: And as you heard from the cheers on the street outside.
--:-- Michelle Martin: That's British Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcoming Zelensky and telling him Europe has his back.
--:-- Leila Fadel: They were joined yesterday by nearly 20 other global leaders, mostly from Europe, who pledged to work together to stop Russia's war in Ukraine.
--:-- Michelle Martin: NPR's Lauren Freyer joins us now from London to discuss all this.
--:-- Lauren Freyer: Good morning, Michelle.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Good morning, Lauren. OK, has Friday's meltdown at the White House spurred Europeans into action?
--:-- Lauren Freyer: Well, we're going to have to see whether hugs and cheers outside and words of shock and support translate into action.
--:-- Michelle Martin: After this summit, I hopped on the phone with Lord Peter Ricketts. He's a member of the House of Lords, a former U.K. ambassador to France and NATO, and I asked him to gauge the mood among leaders.
--:-- Lauren Freyer: They were glad to be doing something, not just wringing their hands about what looked like a terrible car crash in the Oval Office.
--:-- Michelle Martin: And I heard a lot of expressions of determination that Europe must do more.
--:-- Lauren Freyer: Europe must do more.
--:-- Michelle Martin: So what more do the Europeans say they're going to do?
--:-- Lauren Freyer: Well, Britain and France say they're working with Ukraine on their own ceasefire plan which they present to the US.
--:-- Michelle Martin: It may entail deployment of British peacekeepers.
--:-- Lauren Freyer: Here's what Prime Minister Starmer said last night.
--:-- Lauren Freyer: The U is prepared to back this with boots on the ground and planes in the air.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Together with others, Europe must do the heavy lifting.
--:-- Lauren Freyer: And by heavy lifting, he means funding Europe's defense.
--:-- Michelle Martin: You know, since World War II, the U.S. has basically guaranteed Europe's security.
--:-- Lauren Freyer: But if that's no longer the priority under President Trump, European leaders say they're going to have to step up.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Starmer has hiked British defense spending. He said other countries have pledged to do the same.
--:-- Lauren Freyer: Yesterday, Starmer also announced another $2 billion in financing for Ukraine to buy more air defense missiles.
--:-- Michelle Martin: But can Europe do that without U.S. support?
--:-- Lauren Freyer: Well, Europe has already actually given more aid to Ukraine than the U.S. has.
--:-- Michelle Martin: But in terms of ending the war, they're using the phrase coalition of the willing.
--:-- Lauren Freyer: And they want it to be backed by the U.S.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Prime Minister Starmer is really trying to sell Trump on security guarantees.
--:-- Lauren Freyer: And I asked Lord Ricketts what that could mean.
--:-- Lauren Freyer: You couldn't attack a European force if you were Russia without serious consequences, that the Americans would be there to support their European allies in some form.
--:-- Michelle Martin: But I think it's a very long way from any clarity as to what President Trump might be willing to do, and I suspect not very much.
--:-- Lauren Freyer: So that's a big question, Michelle. What role the U.S. would play on the ground or in the air over Ukraine, if any, and whether it would be enough for Europeans to feel secure in sending peacekeepers.
--:-- Michelle Martin: OK, Lauren, so what happens next?
--:-- Lauren Freyer: Well, there is a European Union summit later this week.
--:-- Michelle Martin: A top EU official, Ursula von der Leyen, says she'll unveil plans there for the rearming of Europe.
--:-- Lauren Freyer: You know, as you know, there's no Europe-wide military. Countries have their own armies. Most are also part of NATO.
--:-- Michelle Martin: But coordination among them could be a challenge.
--:-- Lauren Freyer: And leaving London last night, von der Leyen said the goal is to turn Ukraine into a, quote, steel porcupine that is indigestible for potential invaders.
--:-- Michelle Martin: And by invaders, of course, she means Russia.
--:-- Lauren Freyer: NPR's Lauren Freyer with The View from Europe.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Thank you, Lauren.
--:-- Leila Fadel: You're welcome.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: Israel has blocked all aid and supplies into Gaza.
--:-- Leila Fadel: That includes food and medical supplies.
--:-- Michelle Martin: The move comes as the first phase of the ceasefire deal with Hamas expired over the weekend.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Israel has been pushing for a new plan outside of the original agreement, a plan which Hamas has rebuffed.
--:-- Michelle Martin: For more, we're joined by NPR's Kat Lonsdorff in Tel Aviv.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: Good morning, Michelle.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Okay, so Israel says there's a new plan for this ceasefire. What do we know about where it came from and what is being proposed?
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: So Israel announced this plan yesterday, calling it the Wyckoff Plan and saying that President Trump's Mideast envoy Steve Wyckoff came up with it.
--:-- Michelle Martin: It's unclear when Wyckoff would have presented it. Israel says they've already agreed to it.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: The plan would extend the first phase of this ceasefire agreement by 50 days.
--:-- Michelle Martin: On the first day of that extension, Israel wants Hamas to release half the remaining living hostages and half of the bodies of those who have been killed.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: And then by the end of the extension, if an agreement to end the war permanently is reached, the remaining live and dead hostages would be released then.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Israel reiterated that it has the right to go back to war if those negotiations are ineffective.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: And what are you hearing from Hamas? Are they on board with this plan?
--:-- Michelle Martin: No. Hamas has essentially rebuffed the plan.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: In a statement, the militant group said that Israel is trying to evade the original ceasefire agreement.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Just to be clear, this new plan is not the deal that both sides agreed to originally.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: I remind you of what that plan was. It had three phases.
--:-- Michelle Martin: The second phase was supposed to be negotiated during the first phase, which didn't happen.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: Under the second phase, all living hostages are to be released and Israeli forces withdraw from Gaza.
--:-- Michelle Martin: And then phase three would see all hostage bodies returned and the start of reconstruction of Gaza, which is expected to take years.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: Now Israel has introduced this whole new plan, the Wyckoff plan, it's important to note that Hamas has not outright rejected it, but it isn't embracing it either.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Okay. So Hamas is not embracing it, as you point out.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: And in response, Israel has blocked all aid into Gaza.
--:-- Michelle Martin: What does that mean exactly?
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: We're trying to still figure out exactly what it means, but basically Israel has stopped the flow of much needed aid, you know, like food and medical supplies into the enclave.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Israel controls what gets in and out of Gaza.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: And it had allowed a big uptake of aid into Gaza in the past six weeks of the ceasefire.
--:-- Michelle Martin: But aid and food are still desperately needed there.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: Aid groups have warned that this blocking of aid violates international law.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Other Arab countries have condemned it.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: The block comes as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan just started over the weekend.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Hamas called the decision to stop aid, quote, cheap blackmail in an attempt to get the group to agree to this new plan.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: OK, so does this mean the ceasefire is broken?
--:-- Michelle Martin: For now, it still appears to be holding.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: You know, it's fragile and talks are continuing.
--:-- Michelle Martin: An official familiar with the details but not authorized to speak publicly told NPR that Israel is, quote, giving it a few days to see where negotiations lead and that Israel is not rushing to return to fighting in Gaza.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: Wyckoff is expected in the region in the coming days.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech last night in English where he thanked President Trump several times.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: In that speech, he said that Israel will, quote, take further steps if Hamas continues to hold the hostages.
--:-- Michelle Martin: He ended saying that he knows America and President Trump have Israel's back to do so.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: That's NPR's Kat Lonsdorf in Tel Aviv.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Thank you, Kat.
--:-- Kat Lonsdorff: Thank you.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: A new NPR investigation has found problems with the system for policing bad behavior by federal judges and a pervasive culture of fear about blowing the whistle.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Justice correspondent Carrie Johnson interviewed dozens of people who worked in the judicial branch, and she's here now to talk more about what she's uncovered.
--:-- Carrie Johnson: Thanks for having me, Layla.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Okay, so tell us a little bit more about the scope of what you found and when you started looking into this.
--:-- Carrie Johnson: I've worked on this project for nearly a year.
--:-- Michelle Martin: I've talked with 42 people who are current or former employees of the federal courts, everyone from law clerks to court reporters to people in probation and public defender offices.
--:-- Carrie Johnson: They told me about bad experiences with more than two dozen judges.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Those judges represent both major political parties.
--:-- Carrie Johnson: They're men and women who work all over the country.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Bad experiences. That's pretty broad. I mean, what were the common themes you heard in talking with all sorts of people?
--:-- Carrie Johnson: Well, let's start with the idea that the relationship between a federal judge and a law clerk can be pretty imbalanced.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Judges have the power to make or break the career of a young lawyer with only a phone call or two.
--:-- Carrie Johnson: People told me they were afraid to report bullying or harassment by federal judges because the internal systems are so complicated.
--:-- Michelle Martin: The consequences for them are huge, and there really no guarantee those people can remain anonymous.
--:-- Carrie Johnson: Did you get some former clerks to share their stories? What stands out to you about them?
--:-- Michelle Martin: Yes, I spoke with a former law clerk in Alaska.
--:-- Carrie Johnson: She moved there in 2020, and she had hoped the clerkship would jumpstart her career in the law.
--:-- Michelle Martin: She was afraid to talk on tape, so we found a voice actor to share her words verbatim.
--:-- Carrie Johnson: The judge was the HR department. The judge was my boss. The judge was a colleague. The judge was everything. He had all the power.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Wow.
--:-- Carrie Johnson: That judge, Joshua Kindred, began to text her constantly, sometimes really personal things, and after she left her clerkship, she said he sexually assaulted her.
--:-- Michelle Martin: The judge later said the encounter was consensual and said he had no, quote, sinister intent.
--:-- Carrie Johnson: Eventually, a court investigation found he created a hostile work environment for his clerks and had an inappropriately sexualized relationship with one of them.
--:-- Michelle Martin: That judge resigned last July.
--:-- Carrie Johnson: So what are the federal courts saying about what you found in this investigation?
--:-- Michelle Martin: The administrative office of the courts helps set policy for the court system and handles all kinds of administrative tasks.
--:-- Carrie Johnson: They said the changes they put in place since the Me Too scandals in 2017 are real and that they're working.
--:-- Michelle Martin: They say they're continuing to make improvements and more people are using their systems to complain, but few of those complaints are actually about judges who behave badly.
--:-- Carrie Johnson: People who follow this system tell me those numbers are low because clerks are afraid to complain about judges and sometimes because clerks are discouraged from filing any paperwork at all.
--:-- Michelle Martin: But then you have a lot of these young clerks that you spoke to that feel unprotected.
--:-- Carrie Johnson: Are there any efforts to change the system?
--:-- Michelle Martin: There are some. Democrats in the U.S. House, like Norma Torres of California and Hank Johnson of Georgia, have been pushing for some change.
--:-- Carrie Johnson: Their bill to give judicial workers more legal protection died last year without any action from Congress.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Thank you, Carrie.
--:-- Carrie Johnson: Thanks for having me.
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--:-- Michelle Martin: And that's a first for Monday, March 3rd.
--:-- Leila Fadel: I'm Leila Fadel.
--:-- Michelle Martin: And I'm Michelle Martin.
--:-- Leila Fadel: For your next listen, try NPR's Consider This podcast.
--:-- Michelle Martin: We here at Up First give you the three big stories of the day.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Our Consider This colleagues take a different approach. They dive into a single news story and what it means to you.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Learn about a big story of the day in less than 15 minutes.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Listen now on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Today's episode of Up First was edited by Miguel Macias, Didi Schanche, Krishnadev Calamur, Alice Woelfle and Mohamad ElBardicy.
--:-- Leila Fadel: It was produced by Ziad Buchh, Claire Murashima and Chris Thomas.
--:-- Michelle Martin: We get engineering support from Zac Coleman, our technical director is David Greenburg.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Join us again tomorrow.
--:-- Michelle Martin: This comes from NPR sponsor, Sierra.
--:-- Leila Fadel: How businesses connect with customers defines their brand.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Sierra is the platform for building better, more human customer experiences with AI.
--:-- Leila Fadel: No stock answers, no Holt music, just real solutions fast.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Visit sierra.ai to learn more.
--:-- Leila Fadel: This message comes from NPR sponsor, Capella University.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Interested in a quality online education?
--:-- Leila Fadel: Capella is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
--:-- Michelle Martin: A different future is closer than you think with Capella University.
--:-- Leila Fadel: Learn more at capella.edu.
--:-- Michelle Martin: This message comes from Capital One.
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